Once again, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio was recognized as one of the winners of the Navy's Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (MPT&E) Retention Excellence Award for fiscal year 2016.

According to NRD Command Career Counselor, Personnel Specialist 1st Class Eric Petdan, the award meant the NRD met or exceeded Navy retention standards. It also meant listening to Sailors and making sure any career-related need, such as reenlistments, officer packages, career development boards, retirements, and detailing issues, were met.

"Taking care of Sailors' career needs allows them to focus more on their mission," said Petdan, a native of Cameroon, Africa. "That being recruiting America's best and brightest for naval service."

NRD Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Karen Muntean was proud to receive the award.

"Our command is honored to once again be awarded the Retention Excellence Award," said Muntean, a native of Calhoun, Tennesee. "It is validation of a strong command career counselor program and the support of our leaders that Sailors are choosing to stay Navy. We are proud to still be earning the golden anchors outside of our headquarters building. Those anchors symbolize the commitment of Sailors and have become a landmark on Joint Base Fort Sam Houston."

The Retention Excellence Award, formerly known as the Golden Anchor Award, established by the U.S. Fleet Forces Command through the Fleet Retention Excellence Program, is annually awarded to U.S. Navy commands which sustain superior levels of military retention during the previous fiscal year.

According to Vice Adm. Robert Burke, chief of naval personnel, the NRD along with more than 80 commands were awarded the Retention Excellence Award due to their superior accomplishment in executing programs and policies which best enable Sailors to succeed in their careers.

"These efforts combine to make up a force of the right Sailors, with the right skills, ready to answer all bells, today and into the future," stated Burke via naval message.

Award-winning commands must pass the annual Career Information Program Review with a score of 90 points or higher, while meeting set benchmarks for reenlistment and attrition rates during the fiscal year.

Earning the award in 2013, the NRD was authorized to display gold-painted anchors in front of its headquarters.

NRD San Antonio is comprised of 146 recruiters assigned to 33 Navy Recruiter Stations and Navy Officer Recruiting Stations located throughout 126,000 square miles of Texas territory, spanning from Waco, west to Midland/Odessa, southwest towards El Paso, southeast along the Rio Grande Valley and west of College Station.

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For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, visit www.navy.mil/.